Set in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood, So Books offers patrons a wide selection of photography books to browse through, each carefully selected by discerning owner Ogasawara Ikuo. Whether shopping for a gift or having a casual look, customers will enjoy perusing the shop’s collection of hard-to-find items.

The hunt for rare books generally takes shoppers to the Tokyo district of Jinbōchō, with its dozens of antiquarian booksellers. But hard-to-find treasures are also waiting to be unearthed in shops like So Books, a small store in the quiet neighborhood of Yoyogi Hachiman, just a stone’s throw from the sprawling Meiji Shrine. Launched as Bookstore Ogasawara in 2001, the shop—a pioneer in selling books over the Internet—only had an online presence until the brick-and-mortar So Books opened in 2008. While the shop specializes in photography books, it also stocks an eclectic range of works from other art genres.

Over the years, shop owner Ogasawara Ikuo has developed a sharp eye for selecting photo books, using it to stock the store’s shelves with well-preserved and reasonably priced second-hand editions. He also uses his talents to help patrons in unearthing rare items.

The main display area boasts an abundance of books for visitors can peruse, with a storehouse in the yard behind the shop containing still more select works. And customers unable to find what they are looking among the neatly arranged bookcases need only seek out Ogasawara, who stands ready with his deep knowledge of the photography publishing scene.

Daikanyama Tsutaya Books: One-Stop Shopping for Your Photo Book NeedsDaikanyama Tsutaya Books is the bookstore where Tokyo’s creative community gathers. As the flagship store of the Culture Convenience Club, a leading force in Japan’s contemporary art scene, there is no better place for following the trends in photography and the books chronicling this art.

Shimizu Harumi: A Concierge of Photo Books at Daikanyama Tsutaya BooksFew bookstores in Japan stock more photography books than Daikanyama Tsutaya Books, which has welcomed a steady stream of local and foreign visitors since opening its doors in 2011. Employees called concierges wield deep knowledge in selecting and recommending books to customers. We spoke with Shimizu Harumi, a concierge of photography books, about her work.

Photogenic Places to Visit: TOP, the Tokyo Photographic Art MuseumPhotography fans new to Tokyo should make one of their first stops TOP, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Since opening in 1995, the museum has introduced outstanding examples of photographic culture from Japan and abroad, all presented in ambitious exhibitions organized with distinctive perspectives. From historic prints and moving images of yesteryear to today’s most famous and controversial works, TOP provides the full range of Japan’s—and the world’s—photographic culture.

Photo Curator Itō Takahiro on the Photography of the Heisei EraFew museums anywhere in the world specialize solely in photography and video. The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, which reopened in 2016 after a major renovation, plays a singularly important role even in Japan, which is known for its robust photographic culture. We spoke with Itō Takahiro, curator of a major show at TOP, about the museum and the art it shares with the world.